The Incredibly True Adventures of Bass and Jane
by wolvesjr34
Summary: Maura goes away for a week and leaves her beloved Bass in Jane's hands. When all she heard in return was the silence of the empty house she mumbled, "We need to work on your social skills if this relationship is going to last Bass." Rizzoli & Isles belong to Tess Gerritson and TNT.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I had an idea about the blossoming love between a woman and her best friend's tortoise. There will be 8 Days in total, let me know if you would like to read more (potential Rizzles at the end, def some Rizzles feels through out though).**

 _Day One_

"So how long can a turtle go without being fed Maura?" Jane asked with a smirk while she studied the image of her best friend's face streaming through her Skype video chat program.

"Longer than you are looking after Bass for Jane, and he's a tortoise, you know this!" Maura let a small smile play at her lips, she knew that her friend was teasing and looking for a rise. "Besides, do you really think I would have accepted you looking after him if you could do any real damage?"

Jane grinned as she sucked down a few mouthfuls of beer before putting the bottle down out of the picture. "How's sunny California Doc?"

Maura eyed her friend suspiciously, "Jane please tell me you are not using Bass as a coaster?"

Jane shook her head vehemently but couldn't help the grin that stayed plastered on her face, "Not at all Maur!"

"I would like to see him please." Her eyes narrowed and her voice was stern.

Jane laughed softly, picked up the laptop and angled it so the built in camera was focused on her best friend's tortoise. Bass was doing his best rock impression, tucked into his shell, with a half full bottle of beer balanced on his back. The shocked gasp she heard come from the computer caused Jane's laughter to become raucous. Putting the laptop back down on the coffee table she shot Maura the most endearing smile she could muster, "I'm teaching Bass to pull his weight, he's no coaster; he's my bartender!"

"Jane!" Maura didn't have any other words in that moment. Part of her brain warned her that Jane was simply mucking around to get a rise, and she had succeeded, but she could ensure not to over react and add to her friend's clear amusement.

"Oh don't worry Maur, Bass and I are getting along just fine. He's even had some strawberries." She retrieved her beer and took another sip, "You ready for your presentation tomorrow?"

Maura smiled suddenly, she had a plan for payback, but only if Jane insisted on being inappropriate with her beloved Bass. It was only fair she warn her friend of the consequences of such behaviour. "Do I have to ask your mother to keep an eye on Bass, Jane?"

The Italian-Bostonian rolled her eyes, "No, no don't do that. I'll cease using him as my bartender. He was a little slow anyway."

* * *

 _Day Two_

"Honey I'm home." Jane exclaimed boisterously as she let herself into Maura's house through the side door, switching the kitchen lighting on as she went. When all she heard in return was the silence of the empty house she mumbled, "We need to work on your social skills if this relationship is going to last Bass."

Dumping the Chinese takeaway she had bought for dinner down on the kitchen island she crossed to the fridge and pulled out a beer for herself and a strawberry to give to Bass before she hit the sack. She had already determined he liked them better at room temperature and she really wanted to win over his affections, not that she could honestly determine what they may look like. Dogs, like Jo Friday were easy to understand, they bounced around and jumped all over you and licked you silly; that was affection for them. But what was affection from a tortoise? She'd decided she would settle for him hanging around outside his shell for longer than it took him to eat his treats.

She sat the strawberry down on the island and sat down in front of her food. Halfway through consuming the food from the container (something she would not have gotten away with if Maura had been home) she noticed that Bass had poked his head and limbs out of his shell and started the slow amble from where he had been hiding in the living room to the kitchen. "There you are little guy." Silence. "Fine, don't speak to me then." With a roll of her eyes she went back to her dinner, fairly certain that she was going to have driven herself mad by the time Maura returned from her week long Forensic Sciences Conference in California.

Casting a glance at her watch she decided it might be late enough to catch Maura between the end of the day's conference stuff and the evening's dinner plans. She dug around in her pocket and pulled out her phone, hit speed dial one and waited, an involuntary grin spreading across her face when she heard the medical examiner answer.

"Hello Jane."

"Hey Maur, how was your presentation?" She had managed to complete her mouthful before speaking, an achievement in of itself.

"It went well, thank you for asking. Is Bass alright?"

Jane slapped herself on the forehead in a 'D'oh' moment before remembering that Maura couldn't see her theatrics. "I knew there was something I was forgetting."

"You're sitting in my kitchen eating Chinese from the containers aren't you? So you didn't really forget him at all, did you?" Maura knew it was the night of the week that Jane tended to lean towards Chinese for dinner and she also knew that there was no way she would have gone to an effort to use crockery when she didn't have to. She also knew that as much as Jane liked to play around and joke, she took seriously the job of taking care of Bass.

Jane groaned, "Damnit Maur, stop being so omniscient. You take all the fun out of life."

"It wouldn't hurt you to eat some fruit and vegetables while I am away Jane. You cannot sustain yourself on cheeseburgers, fries, Chinese, pizza, beer and coffee."

"That's what you think." She sipped her beer thoughtfully, "You could just come home you know and make sure I eat something healthy."

Maura laughed at this, "Since when do you listen to me Jane?"

"Well Bass isn't a coaster anymore, so like I listened to you yesterday. Also I am pretty sure at least once a week I eat a disgusting salad because you tell me to, but I am so not doing that if you're not here!"

"I'll see you on Sunday Jane."

Jane pouted and whined, "But that's five whole days away. Do you know how hard it is to get conversation out of your turtle?" She chuckled to herself at this; she would never _ever_ admit Bass was a tortoise in front of Maura.

"I would be concerned if you thought the _tortoise_ was talking back to you. Now finish your meal, feed Bass and get a good nights sleep."

"Yes Ma," Jane responded sarcastically.

"Goodnight Jane."


	2. Chapter 2

_Day Three_

It had been one of the more mundane work days of the year for Jane, so much so that she was actually happy to be sitting on Maura's couch trying to lure Bass into poking his head out of his shell. "You know Bass; your Mama is going to be Skyping me soon. I think she misses you." She watched on as he remained locked firmly in his shell. With a sigh she spoke again, "I wish you would look at me when you ignore me. Poke your head out of that shell and I will feed you one of those British strawberries you are partial to. Gotta be better than the leafy green crap you eat otherwise."

Whether through pure coincidence or understanding, Bass slowly poked his adorable head out of his shell and stared at Jane; likely willing her to follow through on her promise of feeding him a strawberry.

"See now we're getting somewhere." Jane said with a hint of excitement in her voice, clearly chuffed that he was finally accepting her presence. The sound of a Skype call rippled through the air and Jane answered, still wearing the chuffed grin from her breakthrough with Bass. "Hey Maur!"

"Good evening Jane. How is Bass?"

Jane feigned hurt, "Really? You are more concerned about your turtle than me?"

Maura tilted her head sideways and appraised the look Jane was sending her. "Well I suppose the same person taking care of Bass is taking care of you. How are you Jane?"

Jane chuckled, impressed by Maura's attempt at humour. "I'll have you know that Bass and I are both just fine. He may be the one eating my portion of salad, but that's just fine by me."

"I'm glad to hear you are taking better care of Bass than yourself." A small smile played at Maura's lips as she waited for Jane's reaction.

Jane clutched at her chest above her heart and wailed, "Ouch Maur, my poor heart cannot take much more of this!"

"You are a grown woman. Bass requires more care and attention. That said you are in high spirits today, why is that?"

"I've just finally come to an agreement with Bass, whereby he actually spends some time socialising with me outside of his shell." Jane grabs the laptop and tilts it around so that the camera is focused on Bass who is sitting near the coffee table, all limbs and head poking from his shell; still staring at Jane pointedly, waiting for his strawberry.

"Oh isn't he just beautiful Jane. I'm so glad you two are finally getting along, I knew you could do it." Maura's voice filtered through the speakers.

Jane grabbed the strawberry that she had left to acclimatise to room temperature and moved into frame next to the tortoise. "I've even taught him some new tricks." She placed the strawberry in front of Bass and commanded, "Eat!" She chuckled to herself, quite surprised that Bass chomped on the strawberry almost immediately.

Maura however didn't sound as impressed, "I wouldn't exactly call that a new trick Jane, Bass is more than happy to eat his strawberries."

"Oh yeah? You just wait a minute for the next one then!" She waited patiently for Bass to finish consuming his treat before looking at him seriously and saying, "Bass, play dead!" By this point Bass was well and truly over the socialising and with his treat now consumed, tucked himself back into his shell. Jane laughed, "See a new trick!" She returned the laptop to its position facing the couch and sat back down in front of it.

"I'm starting to question my sanity in allowing you to look after Bass. Clearly it is leading you to delusions of grandeur." The smile that spread across her face and the twinkle in her eyes gave away the fact that Maura wasn't overly serious. Rather she was quite satisfied that Jane had taken so warmly to her tortoise, it was not something she had really been able to anticipate. The thought filled her chest with warmth.

Jane shrugged sheepishly, "I guess the fact he is important to you makes me wanna bond with him you know? Plus, he's just so much fun." She waggled her eyebrows mischievously at the last statement.

Maura sighed with concern, "Behave Jane. Just behave."

The detective simply grinned and nodded slowly, indicating that behaving was not really her top priority. "If you're worried about Bass, you could always come home early?"

"You know I can't do that. Sunday will be here before you know it; and Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you too." It hadn't slipped past the medical examiner that for two days in a row Jane had suggested she come home early.

* * *

 _Day Four_

"Fine, don't wait for me to unclip your leash you little…" Jane growled with exasperation at her Yorkshire Terrier Jo Friday who had bounded away from Jane as they had entered Maura's home.

The terrier was full of energy and excitement and bounded around the kitchen until she found Bass, at which point she barked and bounced from side to side in front of the tortoise. Bass poked his head out of his shell and extended his neck as far as it would go, studying the terrier closely. Unperturbed by his furry friend he took a couple of gainful strides forward, incidentally stepping on the leash that Jo Friday hadn't given her mother a chance to remove.

Jane rounded the island all ready to unclip Jo and give her a quick scratch behind the ears in apology for her moment of terseness when she noticed the amusing scene. In her mind it was like Bass was getting ready to take the terrier for a walk. Thinking quickly she pulled her phone out and snapped a quick photograph to send to Maura. Then another idea occurred to her, one she knew would result in a stern talking to, but then if you have a terrier and a tortoise, why not make the most of it?

"Here girl," she called out to Jo and then picked her up when the dog obeyed readily. Unclipping the leash she attempted to sit the terrier back down on top of the tortoise's shell, without much success initially. Finally after several attempts and several soothing words Jo sat on Bass's shell and stared expectantly at Jane while she snapped a couple more photographs to send to her best friend.

With a chuckle at the thought of the lecture she was going to receive for her actions Jane knelt down and scooped her dog up, gave her a quick scratch behind the ears and put her down on the floor. Turning her attention to Bass she rubbed under his chin and was quite surprised when he stretched his neck out for further attention, much like a cat would when rubbed under the chin. "Well lookie here, aren't we just getting along well now?"

With a sigh to exhale the days stress she stood up and moved into the living room, slumping down onto the couch to watch some television. She switched it on and allowed ESPN's Sportscenter to break the silence while she set about texting Maura the photographs she had taken. Under the first photograph she said _hired a new dog walker_ and under the second one she wrote _do you think there's a tortoise rodeo?_

With a yawn she tucked herself more comfortably against the arm of the couch, more than happy to doze off in front of the television if that were to happen. The highlights of the NBA Playoffs were of little interest as the Celtics had already been eliminated.

Moments after the lanky detective had closed her eyes her phone sprang to life. With a yawn she answered, "Yes Maura?"

"Do I need to call your Mother Jane?" The medical examiner was clearly not amused.

"Oh come on Maur, it was cute and you know it." Jane unintentionally allowed exasperation at her day to melt into her tone. Greeted by silence she snapped open the tired eyelids she had allowed to close again, "Maura?"

Finally Maura broke her silence and in a slightly strained voice said, "Can you please just take this seriously Jane?"

Jane sat upright as she processed the tone in her friend's voice. She sounded stressed. "Yeah, I will. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Another pause, "I'm fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

The Italian-Bostonian furrowed her brow thoughtfully; she didn't need a visual clue of Maura breaking out in hives to know that something was wrong. "Talk to me Maur, I know something's wrong."

Maura exhaled loudly, indicating her discomfort at continuing the conversation. Reluctantly she said, "It's Ian, he showed up this afternoon."

"Oh."

"I'll talk to you about this when I get back. I'm sorry about earlier, the photos were cute, but please no more using Bass as a foot stool, coaster or rodeo ride, okay?"

"Okay." Jane was still processing the news of Ian's arrival in California. With a heavy heart she gave her farewell, "Alright I'll talk to you later. Goodnight Maura."

"Goodnight Jane."

Turning to look at Bass who had ambled over by the couch, perhaps in search of delicious strawberry treats, Jane grumbled, "Damn Ian and finding ways to upset Maura. I'd fly out there and kick his ass if I weren't looking after you." She was greeted by the usual stoic response from Bass and laughed gravely, "You're right Bass. I don't like him either."

* * *

 **A/N: I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who jumped on board this one already - appreciate all the reviews, follows and faves. Its kind of morphed a little this chapter, while clearly still some significant moments between Jane and Bass... I think there's some other significance taking place too. Love to hear your thoughts (PS. Don't stress about Ian).**


	3. Chapter 3

_Day Five_

 _Of all the insane things she'd done, Jane was pretty sure this one took the cake; this was more insane than shooting herself or jumping off a bridge to save a man. This was insane, what was she thinking? Had she really just packed up Jo Friday and Bass and hopped on a plane to cross the country to kick the ass of the one man she was sure Maura had truly loved at one point in her life?_

 _Standing in the lobby of the hotel that Maura was staying in, flanked by one very talkative terrier and one very stoic tortoise Jane stared straight ahead at the image of Ian standing entirely too close to Maura, a hand moving to brush some stray strands of golden hair from her face. It was obvious what was going to happen next, the dashingly handsome man was going to kiss her doctor. Her doctor._

 _"_ _Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama…"_

 _Jane's head swivelled to her left and she glared at Jo Friday, "What?"_

 _"_ _Do something!" The all too bouncy terrier demanded, her gaze never leaving the image in front of them._

 _Jane shook her head slowly, doubt filling her every nerve ending. "It's not my place. I don't even know what I was thinking flying out here."_

 _"_ _You were thinking that if you did not come out here and put a stop to this, I would end up with a step father that I really do not care for." Bass replied in a deep gravelly voice, with more words than he had ever bothered to speak before._

 _The raven haired Italian spun wildly to look at the tortoise who stared back at her determinedly, "The hell?"_

 _"_ _What? A talking dog you can wrap your head around, but not a talking tortoise?" Bass started walking towards Maura and Ian determined someone should try and stop the disaster waiting to happen._

 _Realising that she was about to be out manoeuvred by a tortoise pushed Jane into action. With all the swagger and confidence of being one of Boston's finest she strode across the lobby, Jo and Bass in tow. Reaching her destination she tapped Ian on the shoulder, "Hi."_

 _Ian turned away from Maura and studied the detective closely, "What are you doing here?"_

 _Jane smirked like a cat about to eat the canary, "Just something I have wanted to do for a long time." She curled her left hand into a fist and landed the hardest hook she had thrown in her life, flooring the man. "You're not welcome here, so piss off back to where you came from."_

 _"_ _Jane?" Maura gasped, clearly shocked by her best friend's behaviour._

 _Turning back to the beautiful doctor Jane's smile softened into a tender loving one, "I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting you again."_

 _"_ _Oh Jane," Maura's voice was laced with such warmth and gratitude, "My hero."_

 _"_ _Always." Jane said as she pulled Maura into her and kissed her passionately._

 _"_ _About damn time," mumbled Bass as he nudged Jo Friday, "Lets give these two some privacy."_

Jane bolted upright from the dream she had been having. She ran a nervous hand through her dark locks and searched the room for Bass. "Of course I was freaked out by you speaking… you _never_ speak. Jo is always yapping away." Bass simply stared back at the detective with inquisitive eyes. "About damn time huh? You tryin' to tell me something?"

Bass ambled over to Jane's legs that had found their way off the couch to be planted firmly on the floor. He butted Jane gently. She leaned down and scooped him up, sitting him down on the couch next to her. She absently stroked his shell, as visions of the dream kiss filtered into her consciousness. "Well, that was unexpected." She turned to focus on Bass who had appeared to make himself comfortable right next to her thigh, "I wonder what Ian wanted? I wonder if he's still there with your mama?"

Greeted by the usual stoic silence of the tortoise Jane continued her musings. "It can't be that bad right? I mean how much can change in a few days?"

Tauntingly her own mind flashed back to Casey's proposal and the subsequent moments she had revealed her options about staying and not marrying Casey or agreeing to marry him and following him around the world. She remembered the way Maura had walked out of the room to save her from seeing tears. She'd seen them of course, but it was only now she started to realise the cause behind them. It was only now that she realised that everything could change in a moment and that she really hoped that she could be the one to change everything in a moment. She really hoped that Ian hadn't been swooping in to change things in ways she wasn't ready to face.

"What if I'm too late Bass? What if I took too long to realise that…" No she couldn't, she wouldn't admit her feelings. It wasn't safe, Ian was back in the picture and that could mean heartbreak of epic proportions if she dared to say the words out loud. She couldn't say them, could she? Looking down at the earnest looking Bass, her heart melted. He might not say much, but he said so much with just one look. "Well crap Bass; I think I'm in love with your mama."

* * *

 **A/N: I was inspired to add an interesting dream sequence into the story (based on a review by cjunited38), since it wasn't practical to really send Jane to California... but as you can see it inspired something pretty sweet... hence whey I decided to make Day five a stand alone day. I know its a short chapter, but I feel with its importance stand alone was necessary. Many thanks as always to those reading and reviewing, you inspire me to keep on writing.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Day Six_

 _I'm in love with Maura. Focus Jane._ Frustration danced through her fingertips as she roughly fought with the pages of the case file she had brought back to Maura's with her. A pretty quiet week had erupted into a violent mess with a double homicide of two of the city's prominent citizens. Jane had never felt comfortable in the world of the rich and powerful, even with a best friend who if she so chose, could fit that description to a tee.

As if Ian's reappearance hadn't been enough to keep her mind firmly planted on the medical examiner, now this high society double homicide ensured that she was virtually useless at what she was supposed to do better than almost anyone in the city. She was a detective, and a damn good one. Just not right now. Right now all she could think about was Maura.

With an exasperated sigh she dumped the file folder on the coffee table and quickly crossed the open planned room to the fridge to retrieve a beer. She needed to take a moment to drink and calm down, her nerves were wound too tight and she physically felt jumpy. This proved to be true when the sound of Bass bumping into the wall somewhere down the hall caused her to jump halfway out of her skin. "Get a grip Rizzoli," she mumbled to herself.

The sound of an incoming Skype video call ruptured the silence and caused Jane to return to the couch and the coffee table. She stared at Maura's contact details, not that it would have been anyone else anyway. With a flick of the wrist and a dab of a finger on the touchpad she declined the call. Her face might betray too much of her newly realised feelings, and not yet knowing what she should do about them, if she should do anything about them, meant that facing her best friend was too overwhelming.

The silence was again invaded by the Skype video call ringtone, this time Jane just let it ring out. It felt wrong to be flat out declining the call; everything felt wrong in actuality. Feeling a deep pit of sadness adding to the volatility of her frustration over the case led Jane to stalk down the hall to find Bass, just chilling by the bottom stair. She sat down on the stairs and rubbed his shell, feeling soothed by the tactile sensation. "I'm so screwed Bass, I got it bad and I dunno what to do about it."

Bass said nothing, as usual and instead started his amble towards the living area and kitchen. He was hungry and knew exactly where he needed to forage. Jane stared after him, "What? You gonna up and leave me too?" _Maura isn't gonna leave you, she loves you, come on you're a detective you know this. Think it through, piece together the evidence, maybe then you can focus on your job._

The Skype ringtone shattered her internal monologue, dragging her back to reality. With a reluctant sigh she hurried back over to the couch and accepted the call. "Hey."

The fact that she had to call three times at a predetermined time to get through to Jane had caused Maura's senses to become heightened with concern. She studied the microscopic features on her friends face, noting a sense of weariness and timidity. Timidity, that was something new. "Jane, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." As if her one worded responses weren't a tell.

"I had to call three times and I am fairly certain the first time you declined the call, as it ended sooner than an unanswered call would. You are speaking to me with one word sentences and frankly you look downright weary."

While Jane normally adored the hyper attentive nature of her best friend, it was one of those times where she wished the more oblivious doctor would make an appearance. Oblivious doctor would mesh so much better with withdrawn detective. She sighed sadly. "I'm fine." There, two words.

"Jane," with the use of her friend's name she was able to express so much with just her tone. I'm here; talk to me, nothing you can say is going to change that.

"What did Ian want?" The question blurted out before Jane could even censor her thoughts; internally she kicked herself. Outwardly she looked away from the screen; Bass had found his food bowl near the kitchen island and was chomping down on some leafy greens. She smiled slightly at that, she had really grown to love the little guy.

Maura watched Jane as she looked away from the screen. "Jane," she said forcefully to drag the detective's attention back to her. "It doesn't matter what he wanted. I am more concerned about you in this moment."

Jane sighed, there she was, oblivious Doctor Isles. "Tough case; messed up headspace."

"I'll be home tomorrow. Has the victim been autopsied yet?" She knew there was a lot more going on that Jane was letting on, but she wasn't going to force the issue.

"Victims, and no. Eloise and Michael Stanton. Given that you are due back tomorrow the Governor asked Pike to hold off. He wants the autopsies done by the best." She waited for the recognition to flicker across the doctor's face.

"Oh no. They were a lovely couple, donated regularly to philanthropic causes. I'll bring my flight forward so that I am home earlier."

"Oh so for the dead you'll come home early," the snide remark had fallen from her lips before she could stop it. She watched obvious hurt flicker across her friend's face and knew it had been incredibly insensitive. "God I'm sorry Maura, I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

Maura quickly reigned in control of her facial features, drawing her lips into a grim smile. "No Jane, I am fairly certain you did. If you had truly needed me to come home early, I would have. You know this, so why are you behaving so poorly?"

"What did Ian want?" She returned to her initial question, choosing deflection over a direct conversation. Plus, the churning in her gut really wanted to know what Maura's ex had wanted.

"He asked me to marry him."

Jane couldn't keep the shock from her face, "What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything." Maura hadn't answered because in her mind the question had been highly presumptuous and preposterous. She could have elaborated this, but felt very inclined to see where Jane was taking the line of questioning.

"Do you want to…" she choked back a sudden feeling of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her, she looked away and quickly wiped at what she thought were tears beginning to stain her face. "Do you want to marry him?"

"I honestly do not know how to answer that." Maura tilted her head sideways just a little as she studied the emotions that flashed across her friends face. She didn't want to have this conversation via video chat. She was about to elaborate a little further to put Jane's mind at ease when she was interrupted.

"Don't…"

"Don't what, Jane?"

"Don't marry him," her voice barely above a whisper.

"Jane…"

Jane forced herself to look squarely at the camera so that Maura could be very clear about her resoluteness. "I need you to come home, now."

That was all Maura needed to hear, "I'm on my way."

* * *

 **A/N: Sooo not where I planned to take this, this was so meant to be a teenage mutant ninja tortoise chapter, but things happen. I go where the muse takes me, and perhaps where Bass takes Jane... cause no doubt she would have ignored that Skype call if Bass hadn't decided to go foraging ;)**

 **As usual my thanks to all those reading and reviewing. You make a girl feel special.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Day Seven_

It was nearly four a.m. when Maura let herself inside her home, wheeling her luggage behind her. Leaving the luggage in the foyer she walked through to the open plan living and kitchen area to investigate the light that emanated from there. She discovered Jane curled up on the couch sleeping, with Jo Friday tucked in a ball next to her, several empty beer bottles and a case file spread haphazardly across the coffee table. Her displeasure at the failed use of coasters was surpassed by the relief that flooded her system for seeing her best friend again. She had missed Jane a great deal.

As much as Maura wanted to wake her friend she decided against that, instead covering Jane with a blanket and quietly tidying up the coffee table. Documents were tucked back away into their file folder and the empties were cleared away for recycling. She hovered over the couch for several minutes just watching the detective sleep, half tempted to wake her and usher her into the guestroom before deciding against it.

Dragging herself out of contemplation of her best friend Maura took her luggage upstairs to her room before returning downstairs to find Bass. She had missed him too and told him as much in a whisper, as he was sitting by one of the arm chairs in the living room. She sat down cross legged on the floor next to him, stroking his shell and then his chin and neck when he popped his head out at the familiar touch and voice. "Thank you for taking care of Jane while I was away Bass."

With everything that Jane had endured already this year Maura had worried about how well she may cope without something to keep her occupied outside work. Looking after Bass had been the perfect opportunity to ensure she was both kept busy and built a relationship with the most important man in the doctor's life.

The only man; Ian hadn't taken too kindly to having her hotel room door slammed in his face, but then he really should have known better than to surprise her after years of no real contact with a crazy marriage proposal. It had of course caused her some discomfort and deep analysis of her feelings, which Jane had accidentally proverbially walked into two nights prior. She grimaced as she remembered how terse she had been with Jane, "She really is everything, Bass."

The tortoise simply stared back earnestly, happy to have his mother home. Maura sighed softly, half contentedly and half thoughtfully. "Sometimes I wish you could talk; I admit to great curiosity at what went on during my absence." Silence. "Quite right, I should ask Jane myself."

With great reluctance Maura rose from her position headed for her bedroom with designs on a few hours sleep before heading into the office to do the autopsies waiting for her. She had hoped to speak to Jane, given the circumstances of the detective's plead for her to come home straight away. She'd even gone to the lengths of chartering a flight so that she could arrive approximately 8 hours earlier than the earliest domestic flight with a vacancy would have allowed. Still, she thought, she would see Jane in a few hours over breakfast and they could then talk before the intensity of the work day took over.

* * *

"Son of a turtle…" Jane's loud cry reverberated through the darkness as she picked herself up off the floor. Flicking the light on she glared at Bass whom she had had so unceremoniously tripped over. "So now you wanna park yourself in the middle of the freakin' walk way?"

"Jane, are you alright?" Maura's voice filtered in from the hall as she made quick time down the stairs having been woken by her friend's loud exclamation.

The Italian-Bostonian ran a hand through her unruly curls and blinked away the sleepiness that still encumbered her thought process. She stared at Maura when she appeared in the room before fumbling over a response, "Your damn turtle tripped me up."

Maura stifled some laughter and quickly crossed over to Bass and knelt down beside him. "Are you okay Bass?"

Jane rolled her eyes, "He's fine. I'm the one who face planted." Her hand found its way to a bump on her forehead that had started throbbing. "Ouch."

The smile disappeared quickly from Maura's face as she stood and started fussing over Jane's forehead. "Let me look."

The detective winced and attempted to bat away the doctor's hand as it explored the bump. "I'm fine."

"Any blurred vision or dizziness?" Maura asked, entering doctor mode.

"No Maur, I'm fine."

"Headache?"

"Localised pain to the bump Maura, it's nothing." Jane replied with an exasperated sigh.

Seemingly satisfied Maura pulled away and smiled shyly, having lost complete control of her facial muscles. She was standing in front of Jane for the first time in a week and things had shifted internally since Ian's misguided proposal. "Hi."

"You're home." And like that every sense of comfort with her proximity to Maura disappeared. She was in love with Doctor Maura Isles, and said woman was standing in front of her with an irresistible shy smile. _Well crap, what do I do now?_

Maura tilted her head slightly as she watched her best friend stare. "Jane?"

Snapping out of her thoughts the detective looked over at Bass hoping to absorb some of his stoic courage. It wasn't working and this left her feeling confused and scared. She hadn't really thought through the consequences of asking Maura to come home early, even if it was merely hours early. Clearly Maura was expecting some sort of serious conversation, or at least should be as far as Jane was concerned. She would be if the positions were reversed. "Uh…" Nope, there weren't any other words.

The smile faded from Maura's face as she recognised the fear in her best friend's dark eyes. They definitely had to talk about Ian, about Jane's admission that she needed Maura to return home and about the unspoken tension that was springing up between them because of those things. She hated seeing fear in Jane's eyes, hated the thought that anything between them could be so scary and yet at the same time she understood all too well.

When Casey had proposed to Jane she had realised that she couldn't live without Jane. She had decided however that she was content with the friendship and that it wasn't worth the risk of losing that to admit how much she cared for the detective. When Ian had proposed she realised that she couldn't live without telling Jane, but she knew she had to bide her time. "It's okay Jane. I'm planning on heading to the morgue soon anyway, perhaps breakfast and then we can try and solve this double homicide?"

Jane nodded slowly well and truly grateful for the out that her friend had given her. Without another word she wandered to the kitchen to make some coffee. It was still early, she had been up late and she was feeling a touch seedy from the beer she had consumed the night before. She just wanted the day to get moving forward so she could focus on anything but her feelings for her best friend.

Maura watched Jane walk over to the kitchen and fought the irrational fears that invaded her body. Jane wasn't ready, but she would be. She had to be. Glancing over at her beloved tortoise she smiled sadly, "Well Bass let's get you some breakfast."

* * *

 **A/N: So since this story morphed, I have to admit to those of you who weren't aware, I like angst heh heh, but don't stress, this story only really has one more chapter and maybe an epilogue (I gotta fit my ninja tortoise in somewhere) - so we will have our happy feels next chapter. I firmly believe you can't really enjoy the happy with out a little bump in the road getting there.**

 **That all said, I am so humbled by all the wonderful feedback and follows. I appreciate you all so, so much.**

 **Oh and I do hope you found a little amusement out of Jane tripping over Bass like I did. Some could say he might have been trying to get the two women talking, but no accounting for human feelings and fears. I think we all feel Bass' pain at the incompetence of his humans.**


	6. Chapter 6

_Day Eight_

It had been a long day for Jane by time she knocked off work, having arrived at BPD Headquarters at 7:30am, she didn't leave the place until 12 hours later. For the most part she had avoided her best friend, only sharing the most basic of work related conversations after Maura had completed the autopsies of Eloise and Michael Stanton.

When she left the station she had had every intention to drive back to her apartment as she really needed time to think before she faced Maura in a social setting. As if things hadn't already been awkward enough during the day as it was, although she admitted it may have just been her perception that left things feeling awkward. Suffice to say her subconscious was not on the same page as her conscious brain, as she found herself pulling into the driveway of Maura's Beacon Hill home.

She sat in her cruiser, hands tightly gripping the steering wheel for a good five minutes before finding the courage to leave the vehicle. She was there now, she might as well spend some time with her best friend, and maybe Bass too; she really loved the little guy. She let herself in and looked around; she located Maura curled up on the couch with a glass of red wine and a Tess Gerritson novel.

Jane pulled a beer from the fridge, sidled over to the couch and leaned over Maura's shoulder to sneak a peek. "What ya reading?"

"Clueless in LA; it's about this pair of tv show writers, Janet Tamaro and Jan Nash. They have an amazing leading duo for their hit television show, but because they're both women, and Tamaro especially has some hangs up they're oblivious to the truth in that their leading ladies need to come together romantically." Maura responded matter-of-factly.

"Riiiiiight." Jane cringed a little at the thought, mostly out of her own discomfort. She was somewhat similar to the protagonists described by her best friend, she had been oblivious so long to the fact that she and Maura really needed to get their feelings out in the open.

Maura continued her description, "Just reached a pivotal point, where the writers have been threatened by some crazy fans. Gerritson is such a wonderful suspense writer." She placed her bookmark in at the current page and closed the book. "I didn't expect to see you tonight."

Walking around the couch so that she could sit down next to Maura Jane responded, "Honestly hadn't intended to stop by, but found myself here anyway."

Maura watched Jane closely as the raven haired beauty took a long draw from her bottle of beer. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Well yes actually," she looked at Maura for a moment before looking around in vain for Bass. "Spending all this time in your home looking after Bass sort of caused me to rethink a few things in my life."

"Oh?" Maura prodded softly, hoping to keep Jane talking.

"Yeah," she returned her gaze to the medical examiner, "It's not easy for me to talk about. Promise me you'll keep an open mind?"

Maura nodded slowly and earnestly. "Of course Jane, you know you can talk to me about anything."

"I realised that all this time there has been someone in my life who knows the best and worst of me and doesn't judge me regardless and that means a lot you know?"

Maura nodded slowly, not wanting to speak and break Jane's courage.

"And they are surprisingly fun and entertaining and I find myself wanting nothing more than to spend time with them." She couldn't help but smirk, because she knew she was setting Maura up for an amusing admission. "Thing is Maur, I feel like I've been numb to the fact my soul mate has been staring me in the face for the longest time."

Maura glanced down when she felt Jane take a hand into her own. She couldn't help the butterflies that danced around in her stomach and nor could she help the warmth that flooded her body at the thought of the meaning behind Jane's admission. She could not and would not make assumptions until Jane clarified exactly who and what she was leading to, but she couldn't help but feel hopeful. Looking back up she met Jane's warm gaze head on and waited for the woman to continue.

"I really don't wanna be numb anymore, ya know? I wanna be truly happy and embrace how I feel. I guess what I am trying to say Maur," she paused for dramatic affect, "I love Bass, so, so much." She had to fight hard to contain her laughter.

Maura quirked an eyebrow towards the detective and spoke sternly, "Jane Clementine Rizzoli."

Jane gulped hard, she was pretty sure that Maura was teasing, just not one hundred percent sure. She had pulled the middle name card after all. "Maur, I…"

Maura smirked, "I love Bass too," and with that she crossed the space between then and pressed a soft kiss onto Jane's surprised mouth. Pulling away her smile only broadened, "I just happen to love you more."

Jane couldn't erase the grin from her face, even though this hadn't been totally what she had been angling for, she knew deep down that Maura would see through her ruse of a love confession for Bass. "I dunno Maur; I think Bass might be leading in the race for my affections."

Maura shifted her weight so that she could press her body down against Jane's and kissed her tenderly. Pulling away again she asked, "Are you sure?"

"I dunno, I think you might be winning me over. Might take some more of that for me to be sure." This time Jane's lips crashed into Maura's with an insatiable hunger; eventually pulling away for oxygen, crooked grin planted firmly on her face she mumbled, "Bass who?" Indeed, nothing could really compare to the knowledge her feelings were reciprocated. Tomorrow she would thank Bass thoroughly with many British strawberries, but tonight, tonight she was going to focus entirely on his mama.

* * *

 **A/N: And with this we have our happy conclusion, all that remains is an epilogue of sorts. Once again thank you all. You rock. Please don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts. Oh and I hope you enjoyed my little play on things with the book Maura was reading, it amused me greatly to put that in here.**


	7. Chapter 7

_Day 98_

"Jane?" The tone of Maura's voice conveyed a cross between curiosity and displeasure.

Jane chuckled, paused the movie she was watching and shifted around on the couch so she could look over at her girlfriend, who appeared to have noticed Bass's new attire. "Yes Maur?" She asked all too innocently.

"Why is Bass covered in orange ribbon?" Maura's tone was very accusatory at this point, as she stared knowingly at her other half.

The Italian woman simply shrugged and smiled, "Well you see, I thought I should educate in the ways of the ninja turtle."

"He's a tortoise," she rebuked, despite knowing that was exactly what Jane wanted to hear.

"To-may-to; to-mah-to." Jane patted the couch next to her, "Come, sit."

Somewhat reluctantly the doctor sat down next to her girlfriend and took the opportunity to snuggle into the warm body that welcomed her with an arm around her shoulder. "You could have just asked me, you know?"

Jane simply grinned and hit the play button. "There's a valuable lesson to be had right here Maura."

Not sure whether the Italian was serious or not, the doctor studied the television and watched as a pizza delivery guy took money from a grate and slipped a pizza down into the sewer through said grate. She wasn't overly sure what message she should be discerning from this and then she heard the words.

 _"_ _Wise man say forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza."_

"Really, Jane? You dressed up Bass in colourful ribbon so that I could be educated upon where your pizza values lie?"

"Forgiveness is divine Maur, and you are exquisite." Jane offered cheekily, before peppering several soft kisses on the golden head of hair leaning against her shoulder.

"Why orange?"

"Because Michelangelo is the coolest ninja turtle."

"There are others?"

"Raphael is the moody teenager and he wears red. Leonardo is the leader and he wears blue. Donatello, well I dunno what he is, but he wears purple. Mikey is the fun loving one that says 'Cowabunga dude'." Jane seemed quite chuffed, "And yeah they're all named after artists."

There was just something about the way this grown woman could obtain so much joy from the ridiculous in life; and to Maura Isles, teenage mutant ninja turtles definitely fit the category of ridiculous. They were so different, and yet they fit together so perfectly. As much as she wanted to chastise Jane for playing dress ups with Bass, she knew it wasn't really causing any damage and was just her detective's way of including her tortoise in their love. She smiled. "I love you Jane."

"I think I still love Bass more." Her joke cost her a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Physical violence is not the way to win me over, Maura."

"You're incorrigible."

Jane turned to look at her girlfriend and flashed her broadest Rizzoli grin, "I know." As she gazed into the sparkling hazel eyes that stared back at her, so much love welled up into her chest and she knew as ridiculous as it was that this was the moment she was cognisant she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the woman snuggled against her. "Maura?"

"Yes?" The blonde asked curiously as she witnessed a new emotion appear in her love's eyes.

Moving with the agility of a gazelle she slid off the couch and down on one knee while simultaneously taking one of Maura's hands in hers. Looking up with such reverence and typical Rizzoli impulsiveness she said, "Marry me?"

Maura opened her mouth but no words could be found as the shock of the proposal sunk in to her system.

Jane hurried to elaborate, "I know I don't have a ring and I know we've only been together-together for three months. But when I look at you I see my future; I see my happiness. We've already wasted so much time dancing around one another and Lord knows this is just not at all romantic like you deserve, but… Maura Isles will you please marry me?"

"Are you sure you don't want to marry Bass? I mean I'm pretty sure West Virginia's bestiality laws are non existent." Maura deadpanned, actually quite pleased with herself as she watched Jane's mouth turn into an 'o' shape.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Jane never finished her sentence as the soft lips of her beloved landed on hers.

"Yes Jane," Maura said between kisses, "I will marry you."

* * *

 **A/N: So this is a short one. Short and sweet. Thanks all.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Day 278_

It had been a pretty awesome night by Jane's standards; beer, pizza, baseball and some poker to cap it off. She had great company with her brothers Frankie and Tommy, plus Korsak and Jenkins from the station. They were celebrating her last week of freedom while Maura was treating Nina, Susie and Angela to a spa weekend ahead of the impending nuptials.

Still there was something missing and as such Jane had excused herself to gather her thoughts, leaving the men to the poker game. She had wandered to the downstairs guestroom and sat down cross legged next to Bass. "Sooooo," she drew out her first word as she tried to choke the emotion away, "I think I have a lot to thank you for Bass."

As usual he simply looked at her unblinkingly, with nothing to say. She smiled sadly, "Sometimes I wish you could talk, like in that dream. Oh that dream really set all this into motion didn't it?" She scratched his shell softly, "I like to think you knew what you were doing when you tripped me over that time. Trying to get me and your mama talking no doubt." She sighed, he was just a tortoise; granted a very important tortoise, but a tortoise nonetheless.

Her thoughts finally strayed on to what was missing; "Your mama is a really smart woman, you know? I think she knew that you would keep my mind off other things." She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on her breathing, it was hard to voice the next words. "I miss Barry so much. He should be here for this; he'd be so happy for me and your mama, I just know it." She wiped roughly at the tears she felt stinging her face. It was meant to be the happiest time of her life, but she just felt pangs of loneliness.

"He would be over the moon for you both Jane." Korsak said softly from the doorway, "He knew you know."

Jane looked up quizzically, "Knew?"

"Yeah. He once told me that he could tell from the way you two looked at one another that eventually he would have to do something about it, if you two didn't figure it out first." He walked into the room and placed a comforting hand on Jane's shoulder, "I'm just glad you two figured it out so I didn't feel like I had to start meddling on his behalf."

Jane laughed at the thought of Korsak trying to play matchmaker. "I think maybe Frost played a bigger part than any of us know. I miss him so much Vince."

The older detective smiled sadly, "I know." He paused thoughtfully before asking, "Do you want me to give you some more time alone with the turtle?"

"Tortoise," she corrected wistfully.

"Uh huh, see you back out there Jane." He wandered back to the living room where the poker table had been set up, leaving his partner alone with her thoughts.

"I like to think he'll be there standing beside me Bass. I would have asked him to be my best man if he were here." She wiped at the fresh bout of tears that escaped, she hated feeling so emotionally vulnerable. "I don't think I've known a better man."

With one last scratch on the shell she used the bed to drag herself to her feet and wandered back out to the game; she had more money to make. She never saw Bass smile his best tortoise smile as she left.

* * *

 **A/N: And this one was ridiculously short, but I really needed to write this. The way this story has developed, I just felt it important to acknowledge the loss in Jane's life. I was actually in tears myself as I wrote this. I miss the characer of Frost so much, I pray Lee Thompson Young is in a better place, wherever he may be.**


	9. Chapter 9

_Day 294_

Maura sunk down into the embracing warmth of hot water and bubbles; it was her wedding night and her lovely wife had drawn her a bath. It had been a beautiful day with friends and family and for Maura looking into the deep brown eyes of her beloved to see the tears of joy that glistened would be something she would never forget. "You have half an hour Jane, before I show you just how skilled with anatomy I truly am."

Jane waggled her eyebrows suggestively, "Have you been holding out on me Doctor Rizzoli-Isles?" She would never ever get tired of saying their shared name.

A coy smile; "Perhaps."

Jane chuckled, turned on her heels and called over her shoulder as she left the bathroom, "Enjoy your soak Maur; I'll get the animals fed."

Timing was everything in their world and as such, their real honeymoon to Bermuda wouldn't take place for another two months, as that was the earliest that they could get time off together for an extended honeymoon. Because of this they were spending their wedding night at home, which really Jane didn't mind at all. She wanted to spend a bit of time with Bass on this, the most important day of her life. She had wanted him in the wedding itself, but the logistics had proven too difficult.

Jane put down some fresh kibble for Jo Friday, gave her a quick scratch behind the ears before checking Bass' food selections. She swapped out the leafy greens for fresh ones and took a British Strawberry from the fridge to warm to room temperature and then went looking for the tortoise. She found him hanging out under the coffee table and decided to stretch out on the floor so she could look at him while she talked; because she sure had a few things to say.

"Man, I wish you coulda been there today, your mama was so beautiful. She wore this gorgeous white dress by Vera Wang, don't look at me like that; you know I listen to everything she tells me." Jane sighed contentedly, it was one of her favourite things to do to deliberately mispronounce some of the scientific things her wife (and that would never get old either) told her, but that was just because she liked the different faces Maura would pull when correcting her. But the fact was she listened and she paid attention and when Maura wasn't around, she wasn't afraid to admit that. Besides, she was sure there was some sort of tortoise code that expressly forbid lying; at least that was her story and she was sticking to it.

"Sometimes I think this all happened so fast, we haven't even been dating a year and now we're married, but then I think we were always headed here huh?" Bass may have tilted his head knowingly to the side, but more likely it was Jane's imagination. "I tried to save you some cake, but your mama caught me and explicitly threatened me with no, um," she studied the tortoise hard for a moment, deciding against being too vulgar, "Anatomy lessons tonight if I gave you any, so um, sorry bud. Anatomy is my favourite class." Jane chuckled to herself.

Jane just lay there quietly for a few minutes staring at the ceiling while thinking about the day before turning her face to look at Bass once again. "Felt like he was there with us today; wasn't sure Frankie and Tommy would understand why I wanted the spot next to me left open, but they got it." Jane felt the sting of hot tears well up in her eyes as she thought once again about Barry.

Swallowing back the emotion Jane fought to think about happier things, like the smile on her beautiful wife's face when she saw Constance and Arthur Isles seated next to Hope and Cailin Martin. Family. She smiled, "So much has happened in the last five years bud, but I think your mama is truly happy now. She's closer with Constance than ever, she has a relationship with her birth mother and she's stuck with us Rizzolis. Don't think it can get much better than this really."

Bass nipped at her sweatpants, which she had changed into the moment she had arrived home, "Yeah, yeah, and you and Jo Friday, a real family bud. You don't have to look after her alone anymore; I got this, until death do us part and all that jibber jabber."

Bass stared at her pointedly. "Okay, okay it isn't jibber jabber. It's everything. She is everything." Jane exhaled slowly, "Every moment here on out is going to be about making sure she feels loved, safe and happy. You have my word Bass; you have my word."

Jo Friday, who had apparently finished with her kibble and other random investigations of different smells came bounding over and jumped onto her mother's chest to offer numerous licks of encouragement. "Gah, Jo, come on, now I need to wash my face before my anatomy lesson!" She pushed the dog away and clambered to her feet, only to pull up short when she noticed Maura standing in nothing but a fluffy bathrobe. "Hi."

Maura smiled softly, "Hello to you too."

"So, uh, how long were you standing there?" Jane asked rather sheepishly, embarrassed to have been caught talking to the tortoise.

"Long enough to know that you need to wash your face before I kiss you. Also long enough to determine I definitely married the right woman." She turned then and sashayed her way seductively up the hall towards the bedroom.

Jane groaned, "That woman will be the death of me."

* * *

 **A/N: So I guess I am keeping this universe alive, from time to time. Be kind or constructive, thanks.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Day 323_

Jane was all set for a night of sporting entertainment; she had wrangled a beanbag from her brother and had placed it in front of the couch, so she could use the couch for a little bit of back support. She had settled on the bean bag because lately Bass had taken up to hanging out by her legs when she watched television and she figured she would get down to his level so she could absently rub his shell while watching the game.

Jane was comfortable in the beans; beer in one hand and the other hand gently scratching Bass' shell. The Celtics game was on television and really she couldn't have been happier. "Should be a good game tonight Bass," she murmured absently as the starting line-ups were showcased on screen.

"Jane," Maura's voice filtered down the stairs ahead of the gorgeous medical examiner.

"What Maura?" Jane groused, already prepared for a battle. She must stand her ground; basketball and bro time with Bass was at stake.

"Are you really going to spend the night in a bean bag? It cannot possibly be good for your back." Maura stated as she came into view, blocking the television slightly.

Jane waved her hand to indicate that Maura should move, "Yes I intend to spend the night in my comfy bean bag so that I can chill with Bass."

"Well don't come crying to me if you hurt yourself." Maura replied, while ignoring the hand gestures to move.

"Babe, can you _please_ move?"

Maura frowned thoughtfully, "I do not understand your choice of endearment Jane. Are you indicating that I have some sort of identity crisis?"

Jane's head snapped up from the television to her wife; "Huh, what? No. Why would you say that?"

Maura couldn't contain her smirk, "Wasn't Babe the pig that thought it was a dog in that movie?"

Jane shook her head and bit back a chuckle, leave it to Maura to find the most obscure pop culture reference when any other day of the week she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Sylvester Stallone and Sylvester the cat. "So no calling you babe? Got it. Now dear, can I please watch the game?"

"You can, you have two functioning eyes and there is a television with said game broadcasting…"

"May I, Maura?" Jane rolled her eyes and tried to look stern.

"Also Jane, what is with the endearment 'dear'? Do people think calling their significant others a four legged mammal is endearing?"

Jane wanted to slap herself hard, she knew what Maura was doing and worst of all it was working. She smirked at her wife, "Come on, Bambi is cute yeah? So consider it like, you're being called cute."

Maura tilted her head in thought before finally nodding her agreement and stepping closer to her wife's position. "That being said, if it was at all possible to become diabetic from words alone there are some terms of endearment I would like to ban."

Jane tugged at her wife until she climbed onto her lap and smirked mischievously in return. She peppered Maura with gentle kisses, "So terms like, sweetie pie, sugar plum, and cupcake… they're out?"

"Yes," Maura smiled into several kisses she gave Jane in return. "Also, just plain old sugar is out too. I really do not understand these terms at all."

Jane pressed a warm kiss onto her wife's lips. "I'm not going to be watching the game tonight, am I?"

Maura shook her head in the negative. "I need your attentive eye for detail elsewhere."

Jane waggled her eyebrows playfully, "Oh really?"

"Yes really. There's an advanced course in anatomy being offered, tonight only."

"Well in that case Doctor Rizzoli Isles, I feel like I should inform you of my credentials so that I may enrol in the class."

Maura delicately climbed off her wife's lap and shot a seductive smile, "Oh the professor is well aware of your credentials detective."

Jane sighed happily as she watched her wife walk away. She turned to Bass, "It's funny how she never complains when I repeatedly call her God."

Even an African Spurred Tortoise can reach his limits with information he receives. He ambled away before Jane could get out of her bean bag and follow her wife upstairs for that one night only course in advanced anatomy.

Jane couldn't help herself but to sing, "Sugar, oh honey honey, you are my candy girl and you've got me wanting you…" on her way up the stairs.

* * *

 **A/N: So I just had to get out a tiny tiny bit of fluffy cuteness. Hope someone found this entertaining.**


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